Grocery shopping made easier

Thursday

Jun 8, 2017 at 1:01 AM

Deena Bouknight More Content Now

Some enjoy the weekly — or daily — experience of grocery shopping, while others loathe it. The reality is that it’s a necessity.

For those who begrudge the process, there are ways to make the task more efficient and economical, and less daunting. First, thanks to technology, check to see if a favorite, frequented grocer offers an app. Publix, with 100-plus locations, has My Shopping List, a tool that allows shoppers to make lists based on recipes, choose products, learn savings and even map out specific products based on store location. Others, such as Whole Foods, offers thousands of recipes, coupons, sales information and list-making tools on its free app.

Grocery experts tend to agree that it is important to 1) find a store close to home so extra money will not be spent on gas and, 2) plan ahead to cut down on impulse purchases, frantic time-wasting searches, overspending and incomplete ingredients for recipes.

U.S. News & World Report last year offered a piece on grocery shopping tips that includes keeping a list of staples and a general price per staple. That way, new lists do not need to be made each time, and shoppers can determine if the price is above or below average typically spent.

Kitchn shared strategies in 2014’s “15 Money Saving Ways to Outsmart Your Supermarket,” including: scrutinize the “10 for $10” promotions and buy-in-bulk temptations to determine if there is a cost savings per item; do not assume aisle-end displays are cheaper; and compare frozen seafood to fresh (frozen is often less expensive).

In the past few years, academic research by the Kilts Center for Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, armed with extensive data from The Nielsen Company, learned that consumers often prefer and certainly benefit from choosing store brands versus name brands. Consumer Reports determined a savings of generally 25 percent, and taste is typically comparable.

Finally, music makes all chores more enjoyable. Listening to up-beat tunes cuts down on stress and lessens overspending, advise grocery shopping gurus.